Wonersh Church: Bible-In-A-Year readers

Fri, 13 Jun 2008 08:16:51 GMT

Deuteronomy

18.1 Offerings for Priests and Levites

18.9 Detestable Practices

18.14 The Prophet

18.15 This is a Messianic prophecy, referred to for example in John 1.21.

18.21 Excellent question! The answer seems useless at the time of questioning, because it is proved only by hindsight. However, it indicates that we should look at a prophet’s track record: it is a rule for the longer term relationship with him, not for one-off messages.

Psalms

Psalm 105

105.12 As well as retelling the Creation story, another way of worshipping God is to retell the history of Israel.

Isaiah

45.14 Monotheism is established by victory. Perhaps this was the idea of the Crusades.

Revelation

15.1 Seven Angels With Seven Plagues

Fri, 13 Jun 2008 08:16:08 GMT

Deuteronomy

17.8 Law Courts

17.14 The King

17.14 The history of Israel in I Samuel 8 indicates that wanting a king was not in the original plan, so scholars suspect that Deuteronomy was written with hindsight, perhaps by or for Josiah (2 Chronicles 34.14): hence the name – second book of the law.

Psalms

Psalm 104

104.10 Although v5-9 are about the primæval Creation, v10ff are about today, when God continues to create. This is not a deist God who has abandoned his creation; nor is he a God of the gaps who owns only the mysteries we don’t yet understand; but he is a loving God who is always upholding even the commonplace, creating everything we know and love.

Isaiah

44.1 Israel the Chosen

44.6 The Lord, Not Idols

44.8 This is perhaps the strongest statement of monotheism. See also 45.14, 21-24.

44.24 Jerusalem to Be Inhabited

44.28 Cyrus is a hero in Scripture, even though he does not know God (45.28).

Revelation

14.1 The Lamb and the 144,000

14.1 144,000 from Chapter 7.

14.4 It would be easy to draw the inference that sexual intercourse, or women generally, defile a man. However, that goes against the general approval of sex in Scripture: only when abused, or used inappropriately, does sex defile. What is meant here? Are these avowed celibates, chaste virgins?

14.6 The Three Angels

14.14 The Harvest of the Earth

14.14 The son of man from Daniel is now seated like the Ancient of Days.

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 08:53:18 GMT

Deuteronomy

16.1 Passover

16.9 Feast of Weeks

16.13 Feast of Tabernacles

16.18 Judges

16.21 Worshipping Other Gods

Psalms

Psalm 103

Isaiah

43.1 Israel’s Only Saviour

43.2 Echoes here of Daniel’s Friends in the furnace?

43.10 Radical monotheism.

43.14 God’s Mercy and Israel’s Unfaithfulness

Revelation

13.1 The Beast out of the Sea

13.1 The dragon is the devil (cf. 12.9 and 12.12-13)

13.11 The Beast out of the Earth

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 08:52:18 GMT

Deuteronomy

15.1 The Year for Cancelling Debts

15.12 Freeing Servants

15.19 The Firstborn Animals

Psalms

Psalm 102

Isaiah

42.1 The Servant of the Lord

42.1 The first Servant Song (v1-4). See also 49.1-6, 50.4-9, 52.13-53.12.

42.10 Song of Praise to the Lord

42.18 Israel Blind and Deaf

Revelation

12.1 The Woman and the Dragon

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 08:50:39 GMT

Deuteronomy

13.1 Worshipping Other Gods

14.1 Clean and Unclean Food

14.22 Tithes

14.22 A thenth is specified clearly, and is mainly to support the Levites.

Psalms

Psalm 99

99.1 The cherubim above the Ark of the Covenant.

99.1 Was Moses counted as a priest?

Psalm 100

Psalm 101

101.2 Clearly David and the Israelites were seeking righteousness. Sadly this is not the impression given by Israelites today.

Isaiah

41.1 The Helper of Israel

41.7 I love this image of the idol’s powerlessness – like the Monty Python Dead Parrot, it has to be nailed to its perch so that it will not fall over! See also 40.20.

Revelation

11.1 The Two Witnesses

11.15 The Seventh Trumpet

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 08:49:10 GMT

Deuteronomy

12.1 The One Place of Worship

12.4 Not that they worship God; but you must not use their practices for your God.

Psalms

Psalm 97

Psalm 98

98.1 What does “a psalm” (title) mean?

98.8 Is this the clap of waters slapping together?

Isaiah

40.1 Comfort for God’s People

40.1 There is no indication of a break in the book here, as there is between books of the Psalms. However, the background changes from warnings before exile to prophecies of the end of exile.

Revelation

10.1 The Angel and the Little Scroll

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 08:47:48 GMT

Deuteronomy

11.1 Love and Obey the Lord

Psalms

Psalm 95

Psalm 96

Isaiah

39.1 Envoys From Babylon

39.2 Naïve!

39.8 This is self-centred indeed.

Revelation

Fri, 06 Jun 2008 08:31:28 GMT

Deuteronomy

10.1 Tablets Like the First Ones

10.2 Did God write the words (v2 and 4, Exodus 34.1) or did Moses (Exodus 34.27-28)?

10.12 Fear the Lord

10.12 What a fine prayer! I think Solomon at the Dedication was inspired by this.

Psalms

Psalm 94

Isaiah

38.1 Hezekiah’s Illness

38.3 Was this immature petulance? Did he think death was a punishment for failure?

Revelation

8.1 The Seventh Seal and the Golden Censer

8.1 Wicked men say that this is proof that no women are in heaven!

8.6 The Trumpets

Fri, 06 Jun 2008 06:45:51 GMT

Deuteronomy

9.1 Not Because of Israel’s Righteousness

9.7 The Golden Calf

Psalms

Psalm 92

92.1 Lovely – “For the Sabbath day”! Why?

Psalm 93

93.3 I like the repetition: “The seas have lifted up…”

Isaiah

37.1 Jerusalem’s Deliverance Foretold

37.14 Hezekiah’s Prayer

37.20 What a wonderful prayer!

37.21 Sennacherib’s Fall

Revelation

7.1 144,000 Sealed

7.9 The Great Multitude in White Robes

Fri, 06 Jun 2008 06:44:49 GMT

Deuteronomy

8.1 Do Not Forget the Lord

8.1 This is the Harvest reading.

Psalms

Psalm 91

91.3 Surely this is addressed to the king, even though much of it becomes Messianic (v11, 16).

Isaiah

36.1 Sennacherib Threatens Jerusalem

36.1 Compare 6.1. Isaiah is careful with history, like Luke.

Revelation

6.1 The Seals

6.8 The colours of the horses fit their meanings: white for victory, red for war, black for famine, pale (drained of blood) for death.

6.11 This sounds awfully like a gift to placate them.

Tue, 03 Jun 2008 08:45:24 GMT

Deuteronomy

7.1 Driving Out the Nations

7.7 This is the distinctive thing about Israel – nothing about them, but everything about God.

7.22 That’s an interesting reason!

Psalms

Psalm 90

90.2 I love these Creation poems!

90.12 What a humble and marvellous ambition in life.

Isaiah

35.1 Joy of the Redeemed

35.3 Compare Hebrews 12.12.

35.4 This is a key ministry, encouraging the faint-hearted.

35.10 This is a key image, of the Redeemed returning to the Promised Land along the desert highway, the Way of Holiness. Fulfilled in Christ, as his people enter the Kingdom via The Way.

Revelation

5.1 The Scroll and the Lamb

5.5 The Root? Is this the root remaining when the tree has been cut down (see Isaiah 6.13)?

5.13 That must have been a sound!

Tue, 03 Jun 2008 08:44:47 GMT

Deuteronomy

6.1 Love the Lord Your God

6.4 This is the Shema, the keynote prayer of Judaism.

6.5 And this, of course, is the first and greatest commandment, said Jesus.

Psalms

Psalm 89

89.4 This is the covenant with David.

89.19 Here it is simply about the shepherd-king David.

89.21 Here he becomes a superhero, invincible.

89.27 Here it turns Messianic.

Isaiah

34.1 Judgment Against the Nations

34.4 This image is used in the NT for the Day of the Lord’s wrath (v8).

Revelation

4.1 The Throne in Heaven

4.4 Is this twelve for the tribes of Israel, and twelve for the Twelve Apostles: OT and NT combined?

4.11 This and the following chapter are prime sites for mining liturgical material for worship.

Tue, 03 Jun 2008 08:43:55 GMT

Deuteronomy

5.1 The Ten Commandments

Psalms

Psalm 88

88.18 There seems very little respite in this Psalm.

Isaiah

33.1 Distress and Help

Revelation

3.1 To the Church in Sardis

3.3 This church is asleep!

3.7 To the Church in Philadelphia

3.7 As in Psalm 89, the Messiah is identified with David.

3.9 Presumably this was about their true religion, not about their race or genealogy.

3.20 The basis for the famous Holman Hunt picture entitled “The Light of the World”.

Tue, 03 Jun 2008 06:29:19 GMT

Deuteronomy

4.1 Obedience Commanded

4.15 Idolatry Forbidden

4.32 The Lord is God

4.41 Cities of Refuge

4.44 Introduction to the Law

Psalms

Psalm 86

Psalm 87

Isaiah

32.1 The Kingdom of Righteousness

32.2 This phrase “the shadow of…” appears in a song/hymn somewhere, but I can’t remember or trace it.

32.9 The Women of Jerusalem

Revelation

2.1 To the Church in Ephesus

2.4 To the church where Timothy was Bishop, this is such a tragic assessment!

2.8 To the Church in Smyrna

2.10 This verse is precious to me, as it is my first memory of God’s word to me: a mosaic around the top of the chancel walls in St Margaret’s Church Ockley, “Be Thou Faithful Unto Death, And I Will Give Thee A Crown Of Life.”

2.12 To the Church in Pergamum

2.13 What a thing to be known for: the city where Satan lives and has his throne! Curious, too, that the most faithful martyr had the name “Antipas”, which was also the name of King Herod at the time of Christ’s death.

2.14 Balaam taught Balak? Where?

2.18 To the Church in Thyatira

2.24 Gnostics and other heretics were always on about deeper levels, further secrets.

Tue, 03 Jun 2008 06:09:54 GMT

Deuteronomy

3.1 Defeat of Og King of Bashan

3.12 Division of the Land

3.21 Moses Forbidden to Cross the Jordan

3.26 I hadn’t noticed this before: Moses argues with God, and tries God’s patience.

Psalms

Psalm 85

Isaiah

31.1 Woe to Those Who Rely on Egypt

Revelation

1.1 Prologue

1.4 Greetings and Doxology

1.7 Compare Daniel 7.13 throughout: see also v13.

1.9 One Like a Son of Man

Tue, 03 Jun 2008 06:08:24 GMT

Deuteronomy

2.1 Wanderings in the Desert

2.24 Defeat of Sihon King of Heshbon

2.30 Moses is here re-telling the story to the Israelites (see 1.6ff).

Psalms

Psalm 83

83.13 This God is a warrior on behalf of his people.

Psalm 84

84.1 These peaceful psalms are better known and remembered than ones like 83: more acceptable to modern ears! Especially v1-4 and 10-12.

Isaiah

30.1 Woe to the Obstinate Nation

30.2 This is the real sin: looking to Egypt rather than the Lord for security.

30.7 Rahab seems like a name synonymous with judgement.

30.10 The people want to be told pleasing lies, not the truth.

30.13 Reminder of Chris and Penny Crouch’s swimming pool at Church Woods, whose wall collapsed on the builders during construction.

30.15 An image of quiet trust in the Lord.

30.21 Clear guidance is something we long for.

30.25 The longed-for Day of the Lord will be both destruction for Israel’s enemies and blessing for God’s people.

30.33 “Topheth” seems to be the rubbish-pit; any connection with Steve Williams’ son’s name “Topher”?

Jude

1.1 Same name as Judas or Judah: (half-)brother of the Lord. How much more remarkable then that he calls himself a servant of Jesus Christ!

1.2 What an excellent greeting!

1.3 The Sin and Doom of Godless Men

1.3 I wanted to write about nice things, but an urgent need has come up.

1.4 Apparently antinomians, liberals who teach that anything goes, because we are forgiven.

1.9 This story is, er, not found in scripture!

1.14 Another bit not found in scripture – it would seem Jude has some extra source-texts!

1.17 A Call to Persevere

1.18 Where does this quote come from?

1.21 Do we see ourselves as waiting?

1.23 What a fine image for evangelism: snatching people from the fire, or fearing some dread disease.

1.24 Doxology

1.24 Marvellous Praise!

Tue, 03 Jun 2008 06:06:57 GMT

Deuteronomy

1.1 The Command to Leave Horeb

1.1 This whole book is billed as “the last words of Moses.” Whether it is or not, this gives its laws credibility.

1.9 The Appointment of Leaders

1.19 Spies Sent Out

1.26 Rebellion Against the Lord

1.36 It’s odd how Caleb gets first billing every time, and Joshua is only added as an afterthought.

Psalms

Psalm 81

81.11 As in Deuteronomy 1, the story of the people seems to be of their rebellion against God, and against common sense.

Psalm 82

82.1 Who are these “gods”, and what is this assembly? Are they perhaps competing gods such as Baal, Ashtaroth, Dagon, etc? Are they immortal spiritual beings who have been judged by God and cast down (v7)?

Isaiah

29.1 Woe to David’s City

29.1 Where does this name come from? I thought David’s City was called Zion (v8).

29.13 What a wonderful verse! “Rules taught by men” is so dismissive.

3 John

1.1 Apart from Philemon, this must be the only other letter addressed to an individual: and the following verses show that that’s not just a device, like the “chosen lady” in 2 John.

1.7 “The Name” here must refer to Jesus (as in Acts 5.41), but was traditionally used to refer to Yahweh (ha shem).

1.9 This does seem to be the prevailing sin: pride. So also in Corinth and other places, the “super-apostles” loved to be first.

1.12 What does this mean, “and even by the truth itself”? The Holy Spirit? Puzzling, especially with the following sentence.

1.13 Even then, people recognised that letters/emails were less helpful than face-time!
I’m not sure what he means by “greet the friends there by name.” Is Gaius to guess whom to greet, even though John hasn’t mentioned any names? Is he to say, “Julius, John asked to be remembered to you personally”?

Tue, 03 Jun 2008 06:02:57 GMT

Numbers

36.1 Inheritance of Zelophehad’s Daughters

Psalms

Psalm 80

Isaiah

28.1 Woe to Ephraim

28.29 In other words, God will not punish for ever. Or, as someone recently said about so many school exams, you don’t fatten a pig by weighing it continually!

2 John

1.9 Not a Trinity but a Duality at this stage; see also 1 John 2.22-24.

1.13 All these chosen women and their children are most likely to be simple code-language for churches: the children send greetings, but not the sister herself.

Mon, 26 May 2008 05:44:31 GMT

Numbers

35.1 Towns for the Levites

35.6 Cities of Refuge

35.15 Refuge or Sanctuary are better words than Asylum, which has become debased by association with economic migrants scrounging, and with the lunatic asylum.

35.19 I don’t think we’ve met the Avenger of Blood before, have we? Checking: ah, yes we have, in Deuteronomy 19! It’s the goel, who also features as the kinsman redeemer in Ruth etc.

35.25 Why on earth does it depend on the death of the High Priest? He’s not the Avenger of Blood, is he?

Psalms

Psalm 79

79.5 This is proper jealousy, like the manic protectiveness of a man for his beautiful wife: it leads God to punish his people for their unfaithfulness.

Isaiah

27.1 Deliverance of Israel

27.1 Leviathan? The Crocodile? Why should he catch it? Or is this symbolic of evil, from the serpent in Genesis 3, perhaps?

27.2 And the Vineyard is God’s gathered people.

27.4 But I wish I were angry? Why?

27.12 Threshing is a metaphor for judgement, because it separates the wheat from the chaff, and gathers in the grain while throwing away the chaff. God’s people will be gathered in together from Assyria and Egypt.

1 John

5.1 Faith in the Son of God

5.6 Perhaps water only is human (the waters of the womb), but blood means he came to die.

5.11 Another great verse: eternal life is in Jesus.

5.13 Concluding Remarks

5.13 A great purpose for a letter!

5.16 Is this the original of venial and mortal sins? Not quite, because both types mentioned here lead to death, so are mortal not venial.

5.18 Jesus keeps him safe? Presumably from sins that lead to death?

5.21 How fascinating! Why is this so important that it rates as the last verse, the final word? Was this, perhaps, the sin that leads to death?

Sun, 25 May 2008 06:13:03 GMT

Numbers

34.1 Boundaries of Canaan

Psalms

Psalm 78.39

78.55 Contrast this description with Numbers 33, which is a list of waypoints for the sat-nav; this is the story of God’s acts.

78.72 David here is the Christ-figure, the redeemer of the people, the one who acts justly.

Isaiah

26.1 A Song of Praise

26.19 The promise of resurrection!

1 John

4.1 Test the Spirits

4.1 Our age is very credulous, seeking spirituality but not discriminating.

4.2 Also, only spirits from God can declare “Jesus is Lord”, as Paul says somewhere. Compare this verse with v15.

4.6 If people do not listen to a preacher, it is not necessarily bad preaching.

4.7 God’s Love and Ours

4.7 This is not (as often quoted at weddings) simply romantic love, but agape, self-giving divine love. It applies to those with whom we disagree theologically, but who show God’s grace in their lives.

4.16 This is John’s motto; see also v8.

4.19 Compare v10-11.

4.21 Compare 2.9-11. Yet why is it that these verses, like John’s Gospel, hide deep truths in short passages, in a way that makes them very hard to find again?

Sun, 25 May 2008 06:11:46 GMT

Numbers

33.1 Stages in Israel’s Journey

Psalms

Psalm 78

78.4 Like Psalm 77 and Numbers, it’s important to retell the history of God’s acts.

78.30 The image of people with mouths stuffed full, but still ungrateful, is very powerful. God acts, the people react; God is faithful, the people are unfaithful.

Isaiah

25.1 Praise to the Lord

25.9 These verses (v6-9) are astonishing! First, the image of heaven is a banquet of plenty and blessing, and it is for all peoples (v6, 7) from all nations (v7), all the earth (v8). It is not entirely clear which mountain this is (v6, 7), but Zion is presumed. Second, even the funeral shroud, even death itself, will be destroyed by God: the disgrace of his people from all the earth (v8). Third, from all God’s people in all the nations praise will arise (v9).

1 John

3.5 Christ is without sin, sinless.

3.6 These are the words of an older man, impatient with details, eager to strip away extraneous matters and get to the conclusion. If we try to apply them in detail (eg to individual sinful acts), then we get into problems (see also v22).

3.11 Love One Another

3.16 Always these 3:16s are awesome verses! Love means laying down your life, self-giving. This applies also to marriage (eg Ephesians 5.25).

3.23 A good Gospel summary! “3.23” reminds me of the famous Romans equivalent.

3.24 The witness of the Spirit within us testifies to our salvation: the third leg of the tripod of evidence, after the Word of the Father and the Work of the Son.

Fri, 23 May 2008 10:27:00 GMT

Numbers

32.1 The Transjordan Tribes

Psalms

Psalm 77

77.11 This is the religious version of “count your blessings” – remembering what God has done.

Isaiah

24.1 The Lord’s Devastation of the Earth

1 John

2.9 What good is faith without works? James 2.14ff.

2.15 Do Not Love the World

2.15 This is a powerful verse for comfortable Surrey!

2.18 Warning Against Antichrists

2.28 Children of God

Fri, 23 May 2008 10:26:20 GMT

Numbers

31.1 Vengeance on the Midianites

31.25 Dividing the Spoils

Psalms

Psalm 75

75.8 I guess this is a cup of God’s judgement – there must have been some punishment of making your enemies drink poison, or something.

Psalm 76

Isaiah

23.1 A Prophecy About Tyre

23.17 Cor, you have to know a bit of geography and history for this!

1 John

1.1 The Word of Life

1.1 This seems like a conscious echo of John 1.1.

1.5 Walking in the Light

1.9 After confession, we might naturally expect God’s mercy and compassion to be his vital qualities; but no, it’s faithfulness and justice which bring about forgiveness and purity. This means that sin must (and has been) atoned-for by Christ on the cross.

Wed, 21 May 2008 10:24:52 GMT

Numbers

30.1 Vows

30.5 If she’s made a rash vow, can she ask Daddy to forbid her?

30.16 An older daughter with her own career, who’s moved away to a flat in London, doesn’t count!

Psalms

Psalm 74

74.11 Traditionally the problem of suffering has two uncomfortable answers: either God lacks love (he doesn’t care, he doesn’t want to help) or he lacks power (his hands are tied, he can’t interfere). Two less common answers are that God is merciful to the ungodly, and restrains his judgement (see 2 Peter 3.9); or that he is taking action but not in the way we expect, and we haven’t noticed it.